Representation by Professor Stuart Checkley
- Date submitted
- 23 September 2020
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
1.Safety of the site and its radioactive materials over the period of its use. No engineering drawings have been published for the planned sea defences: only some preliminary sketches, with no dimensions of the defences. No prediction of changes to the coast North of the Minsmere Sluice or South of Orford Ness has been completed , as the Secretary of State has instructed There is no plan to ensure the safety of the site over the 140 years of its expected use. 2. Threats to the water levels of the wetland habitats. No details have been given of effects upon water levels in the Sizewell and Minsmere Marshes of the following proposals: Extraction of water to make concrete for the proposed buildings Division of the Sizewell and Minsmere Marshes by the proposed causeway for the next 10- 12 years Extraction of water to keep dry a trench that is 30 metres deep, and encircles an area the size of a football pitch, for the construction of foundations around the perimeter of the site of the proposed reactors. 3. Threats to wetland habitats There is no assessment of the cumulative effects of the above changes on the wetland ecosystems of the Minsmere and Sizewell Marshes There are no plans to mitigate the loss of wetland habitats. The provision of hunting grounds for Marsh Harriers is now known to be insufficient. There are no plans to mitigate the effects of change in water level on aquatic species. I agree with the view of the RSPB that the risk to wildlife “could be catastrophic” 4. Threats to residents and tourists from traffic congestion. EDF has predicted that 750 HGVs will travel along the B1122 each day EDF has predicted that 750 HGVs ,10,000 cars, 700 vans and 700 buses will drive down the A12 each day and that two thirds of these will cross the Orwell Bridge every day Traffic congestion will deter tourists Traffic congestion will increase the time it takes for emergency services to reach local communities. 5. Threats to local communities Noise levels will rise by 600 fold in parts of Eastbridge Sand will be blown from the 30 metre high spoil heaps Beaches and footpaths will be closed Light pollution will render invisible the night sky The antisocial behaviour of construction workers that was a feature of the construction of the first two nuclear reactors at Sizewell will return 6. Costs EDF does not have sufficient funds to complete the project The UK taxpayer is asked to subsidise this project EDF has a very poor track record of predicting the costs of similar developments The economic and environmental costs of renewable sources of energy are lower 7. I endorse the position statements of the RSPB and The Stop Sizewell C Campaign 8. In view of the complexities of the proposal and the concerns that so many have raised about the inadequacy of the consultation process, I think that a digital examination of the proposal would be insufficiently rigorous